118 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



It tells us that Bishop MaeCathasaigh went to the island of Eoinis for 

 the purpose of translating thence the relics of St. Constans and St. Fergiu- 

 ininth of Culniaine. The relics of these saints were divided into three parts, 

 one part being brought to Clogher. The bishop at the same time disinterred 

 the relics of a follower of St. Constans, and carried them also to Clogher. 

 The relics of St ins were there deposited "in the great shrine of 



hinnin a cei tain little box (etsta) or pix made of wood/' The 

 relics of St. Fergiuminth were placed in the same shrine wrapped in linen 

 (in quodam tinted) : while those of the unnamed follower of St. Constans were 

 put into another shrine known as (quod dicitttr 1 ) the Membra. "We are given 

 our choice of two derivations of that obscure word, one of which is interesting 

 as showing that the shrine was nough to contain a sheep-skiD. Accord- 



ing t" the "ther derivation M- - equivalent to memoriale scrinium ; and 



this _ rine was so named " in respect of the greater shrine which is 

 call r 1 ) Domn . ijid. In which memorial shrine relics of saints 



illows a sentence which may perhaps be rendered, 

 t that great shrine was intei. r 1 ) for arduous matters, but 



this for minor m The writer seems to mean that the Domnach Airgid 



was call' not liecause of its size — for it was evidently the smaller of 



the two — but 1" the veneration in which it was held : it was the 



repository of the more important reli Membra of the less important. 



The passage concludes with mt that the anniversary of the 



tnv "ii 'Jtli September, 1308, was ordered by the 



bishop to be observed as a festival. 



This appears to lie the only known document, except the Tripartite Life, 

 in which our shrine is called Domnach Airgid; and it is the only one which 



secum per aera reduxit vsque ad sanctum I'iedanum* et dimissit pellem ad pedes eius, 

 qui sanctus Biedanust cognosriens* pellem esse de qua fecit sauctus Tygernacus miracula 

 remi&sit candem pellem ad ecclesiam Clochorensem Cui tunc praefuit beatus TygernacuB 

 episcopus et sic scrinium illud factum est ad opus illius pellis in quo pellis ilia recondita 

 fuit. Tel alio modo dicitur Membra id est memoriale scrineum respectu maioris scrinei, 

 qu'd dicitur oomnicti AipjeiT). in quo scrineo memoriali reliquiae sanctorum fuerunt 

 reconditae \-nura [I. vemui (] illud magi um scrineum ad ardua negotia mittebatur. Hoc 

 autem ad minora negotia. Translacio quidem supradicta fuctat fuit apud Eoynys octavo 

 Idus septembris Ann" Domini 1308 quam diem praecipit episcopus obseruari pro factot 

 •sto] translacionis plurimorum confessorum. 



■e the present tense. Both shrines would seem to have been in existence and 

 still at Clogher in 1 •" - 



1 I am doubtful about this translation. Perhaps mittebatur means 'was sent,' i.e. 

 from Clogher to outlying places, for the taking of oaths, especially of expurgation. The 

 Domnach was used in this way in the last century (Mason, I.e.). But the whole context 

 shows that the more important relics were reserved for the Domnach, and that would be 

 sufficient reason for ' sending ' it only on more difficult or remarkable occasions. 



